Rebuild community embedded tourism and farm project in Vanuatu
after cyclone Pam

On Friday 13th of March, Vanuatu was hit by cyclone Pam, one of the
strongest cyclones ever recorded in the southern hemisphere. Much of
the rural population has lost their homes. The Eden on the
River property has been severely damaged to the point where the
rebuilding efforts and the loss of business threaten the survival of
our project; a project that is deeply rooted within the surrounding
community and therefore is not only vital to us but also our local
employees and their families.

What is Eden on the river?

Eden on the river consists of two components, located in the
community of Rentapao, 30 minutes outside of the capital Port Vila.
Since 2010 the tourism division has developed five different
ecological and cultural tours (garden, river, bridge, eco and farm
park tours) and has just won the Westpac Vanuatu Tourism Award of
Excellence (in the category Cultural/Eco tour) a mere week before
cyclone Pam. 2014 saw the opening of our Eden Tea House providing
drinks and lunch items.

The second component, Yo Ku Farm, is a small commercial farm
that currently operates a 35 sow free-range piggery. The aim of this
operation is to breed a line of pigs that is suitable for the tropical
environment, using mostly local produce as feed. Yo Ku Farm
also works with local farmers in order to improve their small herd
management skills. Excess stock is sold to Ni-Vanuatu families to
support the local economy and traditions, as well as improving the
village herds.

Eden on the River operates in a rural environment and we
deliberately try to employ people who live in the surrounding area.We
only hire Ni-vanuatu staff and strongly encourage the hiring of family members.

We employ eight full time staff, 14 contract tour guides, a contract
bus driver, a contract builder and often, temporary workers for
special projects. Training and education are a priority, enabling the
staff to mature and grow, improving their skills while still
fulfilling their own family obligations. About 70% of our staff are
women and 80% have had no previous employment. Several of our staff
were illiterate before joining our team, part of our core training
program is ensuring basic literacy. Each of them is encouraged to get
involved in the part of our business that most interests them. To this
end several are receiving in-house training in office skills and are
involved in the daily running of the office, while others have chosen
to become more involved with the daily running of the café.
Suggestions for improvements are actively sought and encouraged.

Nearly all our female employees are mothers and most of them find it
impossible to work full time; however, they are able to make a real
contribution to their family finances by working 1-4 days a week. They
bring to their tour guide positions a caring attitude that is
impossible to teach, and their special personalities are seen
reflected in the many comments on trip advisor and personal comments
to us from clients. Our success as a new business can be directly
attributed to these women.

Why we need your help?

Cyclone Pam severely damaged our office and the cafe, most of the
animal enclosures in the farm park and the piggery. Fences throughout
the entire property have been flattened by falling trees. The
suspension bridges for our bridge tour are luckily mostly intact.
However, one of them sustained major damage. About 20% of our garden
and forest, the heart of all our tours, has been destroyed
permanently; the remaining 80% will hopefully grow back in the next
6-12 months. Staff housing and the workshop have also suffered major
damage. Since the cyclone we have had ten additional workers on
average every day to assist with clearing debris.

We are committed to rebuilding Eden on the River because it
is our life and the livelihood for our 24 permanent staff, the many
project workers and their families. One of our commitments during our
40 years in Vanuatu has been improving the livelihood of the community
we belong to. We are involved in local tourism, commerce and livestock
organisations which is why we are able to anticipate the need for pig
donations to small holdings farmers. Vanuatu will experience enormous
food production pressure in the coming months. Many of the farms and
gardens have been destroyed and this leaves a huge food deficit the
government and aid agencies are struggle to fill. The local staple
diet of root crops is the same as the feed used for pigs. Many pig
farmers will be forced to sell or eat their pigs, which is the
standing recommendation of animal welfare organisations as food and
water security has been threatened. That also means that we will have
to import pig feed which results in higher feed prices. Donations will
be used to provide small holders with free pigs to replenish their
livestock and strengthen genetic diversity once the situation has improved.

One of our strong beliefs is in education. The community in Rentapao
does not have a kindergarten and discussions with staff revealed this
as a primary need. Donations received in excess of our rebuilding
needs will go towards building a kindergarten on our property open to
the children in our community.

At the moment we don’t generate any income because we are still
dealing with the aftermath and there are hardly any tourists in
Vanuatu. We are hoping to resume business as usual within the next few
weeks but this depends on us being able to rebuild. This is why we
need your help!

How can you help?

We need:

You to share our message with as many people as possible

46,500 AUD to rebuild the structures that have been lost: café,
office, animal shelters, workshop, staff housing for 4 staff with
their families

15,000 AUD to be able to donate 50 pigs to farmers who have lost
their livestock due to Pam:

7,600 AUD to build a kindergarten for the children in our community

Any money raised over our goal will be used to cover school fees
for the children of our staff members and their families

If you have questions or would like to have additional information
about Eden on the River you are more than welcome to contact Carolyn
via email (ernst@vanuatu.com), facebook (Eden on the river) or
telephone (+678 774 888 0). You can find Eden´s history and the most
recent development on our Facebook page or website.

What Eden on the River means to our staff

Collete, Office manager since 2012

Eden helps me a lot with my financial needs like school fees for my
son and little sister, building a house with my husband and supporting
my parents. I really like working here because I have learned many
different things like how to use a computer and accounting program,
how to run an office, first aid and life saving courses.

Florina, tour guide since 2014

This is my first job ever and I have been able to improve my English,
my French, my office skills and get work experience. I have a little
son and as a tour guide I have flexible work and still find time to go
to university and look after my son. Through my job I earn money that
I can use to pay for bus fares, go to the hospital and pay for my son.

Jacklyn, tour guide since 2014

My job at Eden on the River helps me pay for my daughter’s school
fees, our house, food and kitchen supplies. The job is flexible and
that gives me time for my daughter and time to look after my garden. I
like working at Eden because I could improve my English and meet
different people.

Nellie, housekeeper and training for cafe kitchen since 2015

Not all of us went to school for a long time so Eden is the place
where we learn English and are trained to be an educated person and
have a real job.

Leserei, Cafe staff and tour guide since 2013

This job is important to me because I have a family and I can pay
school fees for my kids. In Vanuatu, the education standard is not
very high and the school is expensive. I can also help my family if
they need something because not all of them have jobs. I like working
at Eden because I meet new people, I can socialize with other people
and have fun with my colleagues.

We will donate the pig you sponsor to a farmer in the cyclone affected areas who wants to replenish his or her stock. This will be coordinated with the Department of Livestock in Vanuatu. You will receive an email containing information about the farmer and, where possible, a picture of farmer and pig.

This will give you and your family the opportunity to enjoy all the tours that Eden on the River has to offer as many times as you like. This includes your picture on our donor's wall and a mention on our website

You will receive a plaque on the animal enclosure you sponsor as well as a photo of the enclosure and its inhabitants once it has been reconstructed. This also includes a mention on our donor's wall, the website and a life time access pass to Eden on the River.

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